These Are the Best Credit Cards for Every Type of Flier, According to Points Experts

These days, there are no shortage of credit cards that can score you perks with airlines. However, deciding between which one is best for you is the challenge.

While credit card benefits for air travelers can come in many forms including free TSA PreCheck, points on purchases, options exist for every type of traveler — from a first time card holder to a traveler looking for luxury level perks.

Here, with the help of experts, we break down which credit card may be right for you.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Most recommended and flexible with high rewards for a low annual fee.

With 5x points per dollar on travel purchases — including flights through the Chase Travel site — 3x points on dining, streaming services and online groceries, 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1x on all other purchases, it’s nearly impossible to avoid making money back with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

“I’ve had this card for over a decade,” founder of Points by J, Jess Bohorquez told Travel + Leisure. “I think it’s the best beginner travel credit card because it’s really great for points earning. Chase points are incredibly valuable because they’ve got awesome travel transfer partners that you can use those points with.” 

Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel booked through Chase. You can also transfer them at a 1:1 rate to several airlines’ frequent-flyer programs, including Southwest, United, JetBlue, British Airways, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic. 

“The fact that the points are flexible and you can use them with a ton of different airlines and hotels gives the average traveler a lot better chance of finding an amazing deal for how they’re going to redeem our points,” she added.

The card has an annual fee of $95.

When it’s time to use some of your points, you can get 25 percent more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, and rental cars through Chase Travel. Additionally, trip cancellation and travel insurance are free and included with every purchase through their site. However, it doesn’t offer free checked bags like other travel cards. 

Capital One Venture X Card

• Best premium rewards and lounge access.

The Capital One Venture X card‘s annual fee of $395 and high variable APR may be a deterrent to some, though its perks may be more than worthwhile for frequent travelers. Cardholders can enjoy unlimited 10x points per dollar on hotels and rental cars and 5x points on flights booked through Capital One Travel, plus 2x points on all other purchases. Points are easily transferred to 15+ different travel loyalty programs. 

“It’s just an awesome point earner with two points for every single dollar spent regardless of category,” Bohorquez said. “That’s amazing because if you don’t want to keep track of restaurant spending versus home improvement spending, for example, you can just use this card constantly and know that you’re getting a pretty great points return.”

It also has a very attractive signing bonus: Cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, equal to roughly $750 in travel. Cardholders also receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, plus 10,000 bonus points every year, starting on your first anniversary. Frequent travelers can earn more than enough in rewards to make up for the nearly $400 annual fee. 

This card will also give you unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to over a thousand airport lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network. Cardholders also receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

“If you frequent an airport that has a Capital One or Priority Pass lounge, the lounge access with the Venture X card really helps make airport travel days easier,” a points expert and travel agent, Katie Holden, told T+L. “The Venture X also has the most family-friendly lounge access policies of any publicly available card. Like many people, we find it hard to pick between these benefits and find it well worth it to have both cards in our wallet.”

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

• Premium rewards, including travel credit, with robust travel insurance.

With a steep annual fee of $550, a high variable APR, and excellent credit needed, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is likely not going to be your first card. However, it’s a great fit for seasoned shoppers and frequent travelers looking to maximize their rewards.

Earn 10x points on hotels and car rentals and 5x points on flights when purchased through Chase Travel. Cardholders also earn 3x points on other travel and dining, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Should you want to book outside of Chase Travel, it offers 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs 

To ease the pain of the annual fee, it offers an incredibly flexible $300 annual travel credit. Cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. And since you can get 50% more value for your points when redeeming for travel through their platform, those 60,000 bonus points can be worth $900 on Chase Travel.

You can also access up to 1,300 airport lounges worldwide and can select up to a $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, TSA Precheck, or NEXUS. It also comes with trip cancellation insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, lost luggage insurance, and more. 

“Chase has been investing heavily in opening Chase Sapphire lounges. They’re absolutely stunning,” Bohorquez said. “I was so pleasantly surprised to find that the one at LaGuardia offered free facials. Talk about luxury!”

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

• Excellent mid-tier rewards for everyday spending.

Considered by many as an excellent travel card all-around and with a very manageable annual fee of $95, the Capital One Venture card can help you earn high rewards on daily purchases. Earn 5x points on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, as well as 2x points on every purchase. Your points will not expire for the life of the account, and there’s no limit to how many you can earn. You can also transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs. 

While this card does not offer high rewards for flights specifically, the ability to earn on every purchase will help accumulate points that can be used to pay for flights in full. The Capital One Travel platform offers great prices on thousands of trip options with nearly every major airline. The card also offers a one-time signing bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of membership, equivalent to $750 in travel. 

Cardholders can also enjoy a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. And, for hotel stays, there’s a suite of cardholder benefits, including a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard

• Best for beginners looking to build points

The Bilt World Elite Mastercard made headlines for an atypical way to accumulate points: Paying rent. Yes, with this card, the average American’s largest expense can be used to build points. The rewards earned from the card can be redeemed in a variety of ways, like a 1:1 transfer to more than a dozen airlines and some hotel loyalty programs. 

“I  love recommending the Bilt card for beginners because you can get points from rent, so people who are paying rent, that’s an expense you’re already paying,” Raimee Iacofano, a points expert and content creator known as @raimeetravels, said.

Cardholders can earn 5x points per dollar spent on Lyft, 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1 point per dollar spent on rent, up to 100,000 points per calendar year. Cardholders also earn 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Cardholders also get trip cancellation and interruption protection up to $5,000, as well as up to $800 in cell phone protection, if you pay your cell bill with the card. 

However, this card doesn’t boast some attractive features shared by other cards. It has no signing bonus, as you might expect to find with other rewards credit cards, and you have to commit to using the card a certain number of times every month beyond your rent to derive value from it. However, with no annual fee, this card is a great way to passively accumulate transferable points with little to no lifestyle change. 

“I think a lot of people get scared of credit cards because they don’t want to max ’em out. They don’t want to lower their credit score,” Iacofano said. “They don’t want to be responsible for paying it off every month or spend more than they have to, which you don’t to use any card, but I think it can be intimidating. So the Bilt card lets you pay your rent on your card, and that’s money you’re already spending.”